The Lighthouse Mermaid

by Kathleen Karr

Kate, who lives in a lighthouse and often dreams that she is a mermaid, has a chance to rescue two real mermaids one stormy night

Genres: Mermaids

64 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

Kathleen Karr was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and grew up on a chicken farm in Dorothy, New Jersey. After escaping to college, she worked in the film industry, and also taught in high school and college. She seriously began writing fiction on a dare from her husband. After honing her skills in women’s fiction, her children asked her to write a book for them, (It Ain’t Always Easy, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1990), and she discovered she loved writing for young readers.

Reviews

[Andrea]

A short and sweet novel that I checked out of the library. I couldn't resist the cover - a young girl standing in front of a lighthouse painted in barber pole red and white.

Kate is the daughter of a lighthouse keeper in Maine. Her mother is hugely pregnant, so as the eldest child, the task of tending the lighthouse falls to Kate when her father goes ashore for provisions. A storm prevents him from returning on time, and Kate performs admirably.

One night as she was standing watch, Kate saw a boat that she was sure was her father, returning with food and other supplies. She ran down the beach and found two castaways - a mother and child - nearly frozen in the boat. Kate's actions save their lives and, in turn, the woman helps Kate's mother deliver a healthy child.

A classic happy-ending children's story that made me smile after all the not-so-happy ending books I've been reading lately.

[Anna Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

short, but lovely!